Despite the game's title, Marvel's Avengers aren't the stars of the show. As revealed at New York Comic-Con 2019, Ms. Marvel is the main character of Crystal Dynamics' upcoming game."An optimistic fangirl of the Avengers, Kamala Khan is the perfect character for the story we're telling in Marvel's Avengers," Crystal Dynamics creative director and writer Shaun Escayg said in a press release. "Telling our story of Kamala's coming-of-age brings a fresh, hopeful perspective to the gameplay experience and her unique abilities as Ms. Marvel makes her a character every person can relate to and will want to play.""I think Kamala is a perfect fit for a game like this, since she sees the Marvel world the same way we do as fans and players," Ms. Marvel's co-creator G. Willow Wilson added. "Kamala allows us to imagine what we ourselves would do if we suddenly discovered we had superpowers and got to stand alongside our heroes in their time of greatest need."For those unfamiliar, Kamala Khan burst onto the superhero scene in 2013, quickly growing popular for her relatable struggles, quirky humor, and heroic spirit. She's also a comic book icon as Marvel's first openly Muslim hero. Kamala is your everyday teenage girl who loves superheroes and idolizes Carol Danvers, the first Ms. Marvel and current Captain Marvel. After becoming an Inhuman with the ability to stretch and grow any part of her body (which she dubs "embiggening"), Kamala adopts the mantle of Ms. Marvel and becomes a costumed crimefighter. She's teamed up with Spider-Man, the Secret Warriors, and the Avengers.After a confusing reveal for Marvel's Avengers, Crystal Dynamics announced it was changing pretty much "everything" about the game prior to launch and that Marvel is closely involved in the process of developing the game. Our subsequent time with the game has helped shed light on how the game plays--a superhero game that offers cinematic single- and multiplayer missions.Info from Gamespot.com

Playing Sayonara Wild Hearts' best levels is an intangible, hard-to-describe feeling. When the art, the movement, and the music all come together in a track, it's absolutely captivating. But it's also fleeting, and I spent the majority of my time playing Sayonara Wild Hearts chasing that feeling. It came through in a few standout levels, but for most of the game, I found myself on the verge of falling in love with songs only to fall short of that high.It's an interesting kind of music game. The main goal is to simply flow with the music, rather than hit a series of precise rhythm-based inputs or dance along to beats. Crystalline hearts line the paths you ride (or fly) through, and often, following the hearts is the best way to get through a level safely without scrambling to avoid oncoming obstacles. Timed inputs are reserved for flashier moves--big jumps, deft dodges, graceful attacks--and these sequences are all scripted, so all you have to do is hit the button somewhat on time and then watch as the moves play out to the music. The camera and forward movement, including your speed, are automatic, too, leaving you to move only from side to side with rare exception. This all lends Sayonara Wild Hearts a dreamlike feel; you are both participant and observer, somewhat in control but mostly just along for the ride.Initially, the dreaminess of Sayonara Wild Hearts is enchanting. The scripted moves, which often come during fight sequences against brightly colored antagonists, have a distinct magical-girl flair. Dodging an attack becomes a balletic leap, a flurry of punches culminates in an explosion of color, and even punch-induced vomit (in one level) is so colorful and abstract that it flows seamlessly with the overall aesthetic. Some levels are bathed in electric neons, while others are more pensive, dark blue interdimensional affairs. And yet all of them, even at their most bright and exciting, are tinged with melancholy, largely due to the heartbreak-infused pop soundtrack--it's the kind of music that, if it were to come on in a bar, would make you feel incredibly lonely but also kind of like dancing.When this all works together, it really works. My favorite level, Dead of Night, closely matches the music with the action and, as a result, the song has impact. During the buildup, you ride your motorcycle through the forest, weaving between trees and picking up hearts while all is calm. Ahead of you are four masked enemies; they strike a group pose, and then, right as the drop hits, their three-headed wolf tank appears and the mini-boss-like sequence begins. You slide side to side to dodge attacks, then hit X with the prompt to leap over the tank as the music swells. It's timed beautifully, and you feel a sort of abstract sadness as the singer belts, "I'm the only one alive in the dead of night," and the tank slides, defeated, on the forest floor. You've "won," but it's bittersweet.Most of the levels, however, aren't as finely tuned. A lot of times, the timing-based moves feel offbeat, like you should hit them a moment or two early or late to really be in-time with the music--or like they aren't really set to the tempo at all. It makes it hard to get into a lot of the songs, even though the soundtrack as a whole is excellent, and distracts from the overall spectacle of a level--you have to watch the prompts' visual cues rather than listen for the right timing most of the time.Movement, too, can disrupt the flow of things. It can be hard to line yourself up properly for hearts, turns, and jumps; you might find yourself a little bit to the right or left of where you thought you'd be. This is largely caused by the independent camera, which sometimes leaves you blind going into turns or unsure of how obstacles and collectibles will line up. The highly stylized, dreamy feel of each level also leaves some ambiguity as to the placement of things. I found myself wishing there were either fewer obstacles or tighter controls; while the flowy feel of moving side to side fits the aesthetic perfectly, it's hard to stay in the zone when you're constantly tipping the analog sticks slightly to better line yourself up.Each level continues into the next not like tracks on an album would, but with short breaks in between. On top of that, the main story mode kicks you to the menu after each level to see your score and select the next song. There is a seamless mode of these same levels in the extras section, and the broken-up structure lends itself well to mobile or handheld play--but the story is the first mode you're introduced to, and it's only about the length of a long album. Where you might listen to an album all the way through at least once before jumping around and picking songs, you do the opposite in Sayonara Wild Hearts, and that saps it of its momentum.On repeat playthroughs, I found myself getting more and more used to Sayonara Wild Hearts' quirks and better appreciating each level as I gained the muscle memory for them. Only a few hit me like Dead of Night did, and those levels are stellar. But the rest are either forgettable or somehow discordant, whether because of movement issues or strange timing. I wanted to get lost in the daydream it presented, but I kept getting ripped back to reality, just a bit more melancholic than when I started.Info from Gamespot.com

It's hard to overstate how much better Destiny 2 has become in the last year. The Forsaken expansion and the smaller updates that followed added variety in activities that meant you could earn rewards while playing your favorite content, as well as a huge amount of new, weird lore to sift through and fun secrets to uncover. It's not a stretch to say Destiny as a franchise was the best it's ever been in the second year of Destiny 2.The new Shadowkeep expansion builds on those foundations in just about every way. While returning to the moon is a pretty good time in and of itself--the expansion leans hard on the spooky locale, which was part of Destiny 1 but refreshed and enlarged for Destiny 2--it's the smaller improvements to the way the game works that are really the standout. Destiny 2 is a stronger experience in Shadowkeep because Bungie has found ways to make it even more fun to play.Forsaken made some effort to establish Destiny 2 as a game that's constantly evolving. Instead of dropping a series of big content updates with little happening between them, Destiny 2's second year became a drip-feed of new stuff that helped keep the game compelling, for the most part, month after month.Bungie has said this approach is how it wants to handle the game going forward, and Shadowkeep represents a big step in that direction. That means at least across the first few days, the expansion feels a bit truncated; there's a lot more Bungie has detailed that's just not in the game yet. Destiny 2 story campaigns have always been a touch lackluster--they usually pack cool individual missions, but they almost always end quickly and rarely amount to more than chasing down some big enemy and putting them in the ground. Shadowkeep's main story is also on the short side, wrapping up in a four or five dedicated hours (and less once you start leveling alternate characters who benefit from the high-level gear you've already procured). It's also clearly the first part of a much larger tale, one that Bungie says will play out over the entire year. As such, it presents something of an unsatisfying journey; it's the first few steps, rather than a complete arc, and you might be a bit surprised when it's suddenly over.Shadowkeep sees the return of a Destiny 1 character, Eris Morn, who was central to two previous expansions: The Dark Below and The Taken King. Here, Eris has learned that the death-worshipping enemy alien race, the Hive, has discovered something on the moon that's conjuring up phantoms of past foes and allies, returning deadly facsimiles of them to life. In a way, it's a big reunion tour of old Destiny content. Eris is back, you return to the D1 location of the moon, which we haven't seen in two years, and you fight slightly watered-down versions of big bad guys you've previously defeated, such as Dark Below raid boss Crota and Destiny 2 vanilla boss Ghaul. Since we haven't been back to the moon for two whole years, it's something of an amped-up nostalgia trip. But we're still waiting to reach the long-term endgame content that will wrap up some of these story threads.It is cool, however, to hang out on the moon, especially because its spooky factor has gone up. Lunar tunnels are filled with frightening screams of hidden terrors, there are plenty of tough enemies to dispatch, and the whole place carries an air of haunted mystery. It seems we've only scratched the surface of what's hidden on the moon so far. Destiny is at its best when it's full of secrets for the community to band together to discover, and it appears there will be lots to find on the moon during Season of the Undying, the first season of Year Three. Destiny 2 Recent News Where Is Xur Today? Destiny 2 Exotic Location, Weapon, Armor (October 4-8) Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Review In Progress - A Giant Leap Destiny 2 Horned Wreath Location: Where To Go For Essence Of Vanity Quest Destiny 2 Captive Cord Location: Where To Go For Essence Of Failure Quest Destiny 2 Shadowkeep: How To Power Above 900 And Get Raid Ready The new content is all generally pretty fun, though it does feel a bit thin, at least in the early going and especially compared to the big, layered content offering that was Forsaken. Part of the issue is that the new seasonal approach means we're still waiting on additional activities, like the Vex Offensive, which starts in the days to come and is effectively a part of Shadowkeep that's not yet available. The story campaign has some exciting moments as Guardians band together to attack and infiltrate the new Scarlet Keep location and discover what the Hive is up to. Nightmare Hunts, the new high-level gear-grind activity on the moon, are pretty much mini-Strikes, making them quick, palatable boss fights that help you grab new gear. Exploring the moon has a lot to offer as well--though a lot of the location is made up of old areas, they're deep and maze-like, and every trip into their depths feels deliciously dangerous.Where Shadowkeep really excels, however, is less in the content to work through and more in the myriad smaller changes Bungie has made to totally revamp Destiny 2. The biggest changes focus on making character builds a bigger part of the experience, giving you a chance to experiment with weapons and armor not just to make your character more powerful in general, but more powerful in ways that specifically meet your particular play style and needs.Driving that focus is the new approach to weapon and armor mods, which allows you to mix and match elements that were previously unmovable perks on particular pieces of gear. In the past, you had to spend so much time switching gear in order to make your overall stats go up that more nuanced numbers, like how fast your grenades recharged or how quickly you moved, could generally be ignored. Making sure you had the best rolls on particular gear only really mattered in the game's toughest activities and to the most hardcore of players.With Armor 2.0 and the new weapon mod system, you can move those perks (now as individual mods) between armor sets to build a few pieces of gear with exactly the capabilities you want. You're also no longer penalized for experimenting since mods aren't consumed on use. It means that once you start to get some pieces of armor and weapons that work really well for you, it's possible to continually tweak them to fit how you want to play the game and your particular role on a team.I'm still early on in the process of seeing just how useful the system is--moving mods around is great, but how much freedom you actually get and whether you really need to care about them will become more apparent after spending more time in the endgame and upcoming seasonal content. But even early on, the system is providing more opportunities to think and develop character builds than I've been doing through most of the five years I've played Destiny. On paper, this is an improvement Destiny desperately needed.The early leveling system has been improved significantly as well, making the climb to the endgame a lot more reasonable. Leveling up your character is (mostly) gone in favor of constantly chasing gear with better Power numbers. Up to the soft Power level cap, every drop is a useful one--giving you a chance to try out a host of different weapons and armor in various circumstances before you get to Shadowkeep's toughest content. Shadowkeep's change to move experience points from a needless character-leveling system to a battle pass also helps a major ongoing Destiny problem of running out of things to do as you approach maximum level. Everything earns you experience to advance your battle pass, so there's a lot less wasted time chasing useless rewards.Evaluating a game like Destiny 2 is always tough, especially now that Bungie's putting more of its chips on long-term, evolving content. There's still a lot that won't be clear until I've been able to spend more time with the game. My initial experience with the post-soft cap endgame climb is that it is, in fact, pretty grind-heavy. After only a couple of days, however, it's tough to really get a sense of how satisfying or frustrating the path to reach Shadowkeep's pinnacle activities will be.I'm also still waiting for new activities that will launch in the days to come and change from there. No review of a Destiny expansion would be complete without addressing its raid--Bungie's raids are consistently the most inventive, clever, and difficult experiences in Destiny, but we won't see the raid until it launches on October 5. A new seasonal activity also drops with the first completion of the raid, and seems likely to advance the story and help with providing higher-level players with more to do.What's clear from just the first few days of Shadowkeep is that it represents a shift in the fundamentals of Destiny 2, and that has only improved the game. Returning to the moon is full of spooky fun, and while Shadowkeep might not be as huge as Forsaken, it still provides some impressive additions to the world that will take time to fully explore. More meaningful choices in Shadowkeep, even in the early hours, are pushing me to think beyond just packing my most powerful guns and shooting everything in my path. It remains to be seen just how much new choice and nuance these improvements will provide at the highest levels of play, but they absolutely represent a giant leap forward for Destiny 2.Editor's note: We will be playing more Shadowkeep, including the Garden of Salvation Raid, before finalizing this review and the score. Stay tuned for the final review in the coming days.Info from Gamespot.com

Ghost Recon Breakpoint is uneven and conflicted. On one hand it's a natural sequel to 2017's Ghost Recon Wildlands, offering a near-identical core gameplay loop of open-world espionage and shooting. On the other hand, Breakpoint is a messy hodgepodge of disparate ideas, pulling various aspects from other Ubisoft games and shoehorning them in, half-baked and out of place. Ghost Recon's identity as a tactical shooter has evaporated and been replaced by a confused patchwork of elements and mechanics from other, better games. Its defining characteristic boils down to just how generic and stale the whole thing is.The addition of loot and an ever-increasing gear score fits into the standard template of Ubisoft's recent open-world games, whether it's The Division 2, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, or even Far Cry New Dawn. Breakpoint fulfills its quota by including these light RPG mechanics, but the implementation of its loot grind feels like a severe afterthought. There are numerous pieces of armor to find and equip as you explore the fictional island of Auroa. The numbers attached to each one will raise or lower your gear score, but the effect this has on gameplay is entirely inconsequential. Rare loot might include small buffs like a 2% increase in stamina or a 1% increase to movement speed, yet the effects of these buffs are negligible, and armor doesn't affect your damage resistance in any perceivable way. A level 5 beanie offers as much protection as a level 75 helmet, so these numbers only exist to raise a gear score that's nothing more than a flimsy representation of your progress. You're supposed to feel good about that number rising, but it's difficult to care when there are no tangible benefits to picking one piece of armor over another. You just end up opting for whatever has the higher rating without any meaningful consideration.Choosing which weapon to roll with requires slightly more deliberation, although this is mainly due to your preference for specific weapon types as opposed to the number attached to each. Breakpoint features the usual assortment of assault rifles, SMGs, shotguns, and sniper rifles, and these firearms function similarly to armour, with rare weapons receiving miniscule buffs to aspects like reload speed and recoil reduction. Again, the impact these stats have on gameplay is paltry at best, especially because shooting in Breakpoint is still geared towards landing headshots for an instant kill. This is a holdover from Wildlands and the series' early beginnings as a somewhat "authentic" tactical shooter. The most heavily armored grunts in Breakpoint take two shots to the head to kill--one to take off their helmet, and another to finish the job--but every other enemy can be extinguished with a single bullet.Weapons feel impactful as a result of this, successfully capturing the rush of being an elite special ops soldier that can take out four or five enemy combatants in a matter of seconds. But this also means the rarity of weapons and the gear score attached to them is ultimately meaningless. You can wander into an area recommended for players with a gear score of 140 with a significantly lower score and still kill every enemy without breaking a sweat. This amount of freedom would be commendable if it didn't shine a derisive light on how shallow the RPG mechanics are.The only enemies in the game that require a specific gear score to defeat are the killer drones dotted across the island. Encounters with these unmanned killing machines are few and far between, but because they don't have heads and aren't made of flesh and blood, they can be bullet sponges. Facing off against one of these drones is the only time the number next to your weapon actually matters, and even then they're easier to destroy by using the rocket launchers, grenades, and mines found in your inventory, which don't even have numbers attached to them. It's another example of how Breakpoint isn't a coherent match with Ghost Recon's sensibilities, which are still reflected in the way headshots function, and the trivial impact that loot has on gameplay makes the constant switching and dismantling of each piece of gear an unnecessary timesink.Breakpoint's paper-thin survival mechanics are similarly underdeveloped, hinting at a tense experience that never comes to fruition. You carry a flask that you can refill in lakes, rivers, and even in someone's backyard swimming pool for that sweet tasty chlorine. Water is used to replenish any lost stamina you've misplaced by over-exerting--usually by rolling down a hillside because Auroa is nearly bereft of flat ground. The island consists of diverse biomes including verdant woodlands, snow-capped mountain tops, and muggy swamps, but the common throughline in each environment is the presence of craggy cliffs and hillsides.As a result, traversing on foot revolves around spending a lot of time sliding down undulating slopes. This quickly drains your stamina, sending you into an uncontrollable roll that inflicts damage with each nick and bump. Health regenerates over time, but if you suffer either a minor or major injury and don't want to hobble everywhere, you need to use a syringe for instant pain relief or spend longer wrapping yourself up in bandages. Syringes are finite, yet you have an infinite supply of bandages that almost make the mechanic moot. There are never any anxious moments of desperation as you find yourself hindered with an empty medicine box. It's easy enough to wrap yourself up after a tumble, and injuries in combat are rare enough that having to find a safe spot to pause is not something you have to consider very often. There are also bivouacs spread out across the map that are used as fast travel points and rest areas where you can apply specific buffs by eating, drinking, or aiming your gun at the sky to somehow improve its accuracy. You don't have to gather food because it's always available, and there's some light crafting on the docket if you have the materials to restock your supply of explosives and gadgets.Much like the loot, these light survival mechanics aren't fleshed out enough to warrant any engagement beyond the limited amount you're forced into. The story revolves around your character being stranded alone, trapped deep behind enemy lines. You're outmanned and outgunned against an elite force equipped with a stolen fleet of devastating, unmanned killing machines. Stealth is encouraged, so much so that when you're prone you can cover yourself in mud and foliage to blend into the environment and remain undetected. Each of these elements places an emphasis on survival, but Breakpoint constantly skirts around the edges, never committing to mechanics that would extend beyond the feeble survival aspects already included. The plane-like Azraël drone occasionally flies overhead, ready and raring to rain fiery destruction down upon your helpless human body. Yet all this means is that you'll sometimes have to lie down and wait for it to pass before you can continue with what you were originally doing. You can see the inkling of some interesting ideas here, but Breakpoint never capitalizes on these and is ultimately a generic pastiche of what's come before.The gameplay loop is almost identical to Wildlands': You send a drone into the sky, survey an enemy base, and mark targets before infiltrating in whichever manner you see fit. Navigating through a heavily fortified compound without being seen is still inherently satisfying. Each one is usually designed in a way so there are a number of enemies obscured from your drone's vision. You might be able to pick off a handful of guards from a distance using a silenced sniper rifle, but at some point you'll have to enter and find the rest. The only thing impeding your stealthy espionage is the fact you can't move sideways while prone. Instead, you end up with these awkward animations because you can only turn at right angles. Taking cover is overly cumbersome, too. You do it automatically, but what the game deems as cover is inconsistent from one low wall to the next, and even if you do manage to get behind an object, whether you can shoot over it or not is another question. Though this would be a bigger problem if the AI were the least bit competent.Enemies in Breakpoint are mind-numbingly dumb to the point where playing on the highest difficulty doesn't present a significantly harder challenge. Their reaction to a buddy getting shot in front of them is often one of confusion; they'll stand still in the open instead of scurrying for cover. They don't fare much better in the midst of combat, either, running between the same two pieces of cover without engaging you or seemingly forgetting you exist. Occasionally they might try to flank your blindside, but more often than not their strategy boils down to charging directly at you, making it incredibly easy to line up your shots and dispatch a few in a row. Bottlenecks like corridors and doorways are by far their worst enemy, though. Sit down one end of a straight corridor and it doesn't take long for the bodies to pile up. You can even shoot the ground at the entrance to a base and kill each enemy who comes to investigate. Factor in the disappointing fact that enemies don't so much as flinch when getting shot in the body, and none of this is conducive to enjoyable combat.If you can get some like-minded friends together, there's definitely some fun to be had in Breakpoint's four-person co-op. Silently clearing a base of its enemies is more gratifying with four people. You can plan ahead, simultaneously approach the compound through different entrances, and time sync shots together. It's more chaotic with strangers but you can jump into matches with random players if you fancy a taste of open-world chaos.There is, however, some dissonance between co-op and the story painting you as a lone soldier, although this is much more egregious in Breakpoint's social hub. You can play the whole game solo, but mission givers all hang out in this homely cave where you'll also find 50 or so other players. Your character is literally called Nomad, and yet you're in a space with a bunch of other Nomads, all standing around the same NPC like it's an MMO. And the story's not great either way. Jon Bernthal elevates every scene he's in, chewing up the scenery to deliver simmering monologues befitting a villain with a dubious moral code. The writing is mostly cheesy, though, with some flat voice acting and predictable twists. The inventor of the island's killer drones develops a minor Oppenheimer complex when he realises his creations can be used to kill innocent people, but this aspect isn't explored beyond surface level, and that applies to the rest of the narrative too.Much like the loot, the light survival mechanics aren't fleshed out enough to warrant any engagement beyond the limited amount you're forced into.The presence of the social hub and the effect it has on diminishing the story would've been worse if the story were better. As it is, the social hub seems to exist to guide players towards Breakpoint's myriad microtransactions. Maybe that's an overly cynical viewpoint, but why else would you gather players in an open space other than to encourage them to show off by purchasing fancy new cosmetics? You can buy tattoos, shirts, masks, hats, weapons, vehicles, and more. Purchasing in-game money also comes in denominations that ensure you're always spending more than you need. You don't have to engage with any of this stuff, and it's easy enough to ignore, but this microtransaction structure is predatory by design.It would make sense if the addition of loot were in service of guiding people to spend real money on better guns, but even then the stats are so meaningless it would take a lot of convincing. There's some surprising fun to be had stealthily infiltrating enemy compounds and playing with friends, but Breakpoint is still a generic and distinctly sub-par game. It's essentially every Ubisoft open-world game rolled into one, failing to excel in any one area or establish its own identity. Breakpoint is a messy, confused game and a ghost of the series' former self.Editor's note: We will be finalizing this review once we've played PvP and the raid. Stay tuned for the final review in the coming days.Info from Gamespot.com

Sony recently made big moves to make its long-running PlayStation Now service more competitive against services like Xbox Game Pass, and that includes making deals with publishers. Rockstar will reportedly only allow Sony to stream Grand Theft Auto 5, at least for the time being.Wired reports that while Rockstar hasn't struck a formal exclusivity arrangement with Sony, SIE CEO Jim Ryan says the game will only stream on PS Now "to the best of my knowledge." The quasi-exclusivity reportedly stems partly from Take-Two being reluctant to launch its own subscription service like EA and Ubisoft. Paired with a recent big update to GTA Online, Rockstar was up for negotiating."I'd prefer not to disclose the terms, but let's say it's a good deal for Rockstar," said Ryan.Whatever the deal, it appears targeted only at streaming services. That potentially cuts out impending competitors like Google Stadia, which launches next month, and Microsoft's xCloud, which is beginning public testing this month. But since it's not officially an exclusive, Rockstar could potentially still take it elsewhere.Rockstar was officially confirmed as a partner for Google Stadia, but without any announced games. It was one of only three developers, alongside EA and Capcom, that were included in a footnote saying that they would "announce content at their discretion." Rockstar has not announced any Stadia games or if they'll be available at launch, but the revelation that PS Now may be the sole streaming platform for GTA 5 appears to narrow down the list of possibilities.Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands 3 is continuing to update frequently, both with performance improvements and character balance. Today Gearbox is planning a one-two punch of both, pairing a patch and a hot fix across all platforms by 3 PM PT.The patch focuses largely on performance and stability, while the hot fix makes some adjustments to FL4K and Moze and rebalances some enemy encounters. Both are coming at roughly the same time, though, so you'll feel the effects of everything at once. FL4K got mostly buffs with adjustments to their Rakk Attack and Barbaric Yawp abilities, and a slight nerf to their Leave No Trace ability. Moze gets a nerf to her Means of Destruction ability to avoid infinite grenades builds."Our goal is to make sure all three Action Skills for each Vault Hunter are viable, but we have noticed some skills have been outperforming others," Gearbox says in the patch notes. "To encourage more build diversity, we made some adjustments to FL4K and Moze this week."Other changes adjust the balance of three key boss fights: Gigamind, Katagawa Ball, and Billy the Anointed. In each case, they've been made a little weaker and easier to handle. You can see the full patch notes below.For more on Borderlands 3, check out our favorite Legendary guns. Or claim some of your own by cashing in Shift Codes. Borderlands 3 News Borderlands 3 Patch Notes: Character Balance, Stability Improvements, And More Borderlands 3 Starter Guide: 17 Spoiler-Free Tips You Should Know Before Jumping In Borderlands 3 Shift Codes: All Active Shift Codes And How To Redeem Them Borderlands 3 Patch / Hot Fix Notes (Oct 3)StabilityAddressed a reported issue where an infinite loop could occur when hitting the Guardian Rank experience ceilingGeneral Fixes and ImprovementsThe Hollow Point Guardian Rank skill no longer damages alliesHollow Point Guardian Rank skill has been re-enabledAddressed a reported issue where some players were unable to unlock the Ultimate Vault Hunter achievement on XboxAddressed a reported issue where mouse functionality may have been lost when hot joining a friend’s session on PCAddressed a reported issue where some players’ inventory would not be saved in their bankVault Hunter AdjustmentsFL4K Rakk Attack! is great for constant damage output, especially when paired with Anointed gear. The base skill still seems to be lacking, so Rakk Attack! now has a guaranteed status effect on any enemy that it damages. Leave No Trace was returning much more ammo than intended, and we have added a re-trigger delay to keep its ammo return within expectation. Barbaric Yawp has an increased bonus, as we didn’t feel that the amount of investment had an equal payoff. In addition, we felt that FL4K’s pets were demanding too much attention, which was interfering with players trying to stand still for any length of time, so we disabled the ability for them to move you around.Rakk Attack! status effect chance as been increased to 100%.Leave No Trace now has a re-trigger delay of 2 secondsBarbaric Yawp stat bonus increased by 100%Pets no longer push around player characters“Touch Pet” prompt is now a lower priority and should no longer interfere with looting or vending machinesMozeInfinite Grenades is not an intentional build for Moze—even if it is hilarious. To lower the power (and spam) of this build, a re-trigger delay has been added to the grenade portion of Means of Destruction.Means of Destruction now has a re-trigger delay of 2 secondsMiscellaneous ChangesAdjusted the balance of Gigamind, Katagawa Ball, and Billy the AnointedThese three boss fights had concerns with their health and shields that made their combat loops more difficult than we intended. Gigamind had a little too much health, so that was reduced slightly. Katagawa Ball will no longer regenerate its shields; we found that while players contended with the adds during the fight, it would unfairly regenerate its shield, negating the players’ progress. Finally, Billy had 25% of his health removed; we agree that this fight often dragged on needlessly. We will be monitoring each of these bosses and may make further adjustments in the future.Bloated Rakks no longer spawn so many RakklesnakesThis change should make the Cistern of Slaughter in particular much more fun.Adjusted the cooldown values when they are displayed for Zane’s skillsAmara’s Glamour will now turn enemies on each other, as described in the Action SkillModified the loot spawn for Sera of SupremacySpiderant Emperors occasionally wouldn’t drill back out of the ground, which created a potential progression blocker in the Proving Ground of Survival; we have adjusted this and the issue has been addressedResolved an issue that could have prevented enemies from spawning while in Devil’s RazorLavender Crawly’s physics were adjusted to prevent them exiting the world like a popped balloonFurther safe guarded Apollo from being launched out of world as wellThe Rampager will no longer enter an idle at state at inappropriate timesSaurian Slingers attacks were addressedGuardians now use all their attacks in Playthrough 2Guardian Wraiths now reliably use all their ranged attacksNPCs in the Slaughter maps were reported to sometimes attempt to automatically revive players in the arena. Going forward they will no longer attempt to revive playersMinimized the glow effect when opening Eridian ammo chests, can more easily see the ammo inside when openedInfo from Gamespot.com

If you're a PS4 owner who likes playing games online, you're probably familiar with PlayStation Plus, Sony's premium membership that grants access to not online multiplayer but also free monthly games and exclusive discounts. PS Plus sells for $60 a year and doesn't often waver from that price point outside of major sales like Prime Day and Black Friday--but if you're looking to renew or extend your subscription at a discount, you can currently find a 12-month membership for just $45 at Newegg.To snag the discount, add the PS Plus membership to your cart and apply promo code EMCUTTW35 during checkout. You'll see $15 slashed off the price, dropping your cost to $45. Once you check out, you'll receive the PS Plus code via email to redeem in the PlayStation Store.See deal at NeweggThe nice thing about PS Plus memberships is that they stack, so even if you've got some time left on your current membership, you can extend your subscription at a discount when you find deals like this one.Right now, you can claim October's free PS4 games if you have a current PlayStation Plus membership. This month, you can claim The Last of Us Remastered, which is the perfect opportunity to either replay or experience this acclaimed adventure for the first time as we get closer to The Last of Us Part 2's release in February. You can also grab sports game MLB The Show 19 for free anytime in October.Check out more of the best PS4 deals for October 2019, including PSN's current Games of a Generation sale, which has Red Dead Redemption 2 for $36, Battlefield V for $24, Monster Hunter World for $20, and more.Info from Gamespot.com

It's been a week since Mario Kart Tour released on iOS and Android devices, and despite some egregious microtransactions, it's already proving to be a big hit for Nintendo. The game amassed a record-breaking 10.1 million downloads on launch day, and now that number has climbed to 90 million, mobile analytics tracker Sensor Tower reports.According to Sensor Tower, that makes Mario Kart Tour Nintendo's fastest mobile game launch to date. By comparison, the previous game to hold that distinction, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, hit 14 million downloads in its first week, while Super Mario Run garnered 13 million (although unlike the other two titles, players had to spend $10 to unlock everything beyond Super Mario Run's first three levels).#MarioKartTour Speeds to 90 Million Downloads in First Week to Become #Nintendo's Fastest-Ever Mobile Game Launch: https://t.co/uYbJXIYPzp #mariokart pic.twitter.com/V3MCKvZTv8 — Sensor Tower (@SensorTower) October 2, 2019Sensor Tower shares some other interesting data on how Mario Kart Tour is faring. Thus far, it seems the game is more popular on Android than iOS devices, accounting for nearly 60% of its downloads. However, iOS owners have spent far more money on the game; more than 75% of its gross revenue comes from the App Store. The US leads in terms of downloads and revenue.According to Sensor Tower, Mario Kart Tour has grossed more than $12 million in its first week on the market. However, Nintendo's most successful mobile game is still far and away Fire Emblem Heroes. Since it launched back in early 2017, the title has generated more than $618 million. Pocket Camp currently sits at second with $111 million in revenue, while Dragalia Lost is close behind at $106 million.Mario Kart Tour's first Tour event is still live, and it offers a chance to unlock two special characters: Pauline and Musician Mario. While there isn't multiplayer in Mario Kart Tour yet, Nintendo says the feature will be coming in the future. For more on the game, be sure to check out our Mario Kart Tour impressions.Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands is officially ten years old this month, so Gearbox is throwing a party to celebrate. Instead of cake, though, you'll get a month of special loot events in Borderlands 3. It's sort of like busting open a birthday pinata, if the pinata were full of guns.Every week for five weeks, Borderlands 3 will offer a special theme. The first week, which is already underway, is called "Boss Week." During Boss Week, several bosses will have increased odds of dropping a unique legendary. You can check out the bosses and their loot rewards below. Boss Week will last until October 8. It will be followed by Rare Spawn Hunt, Show Me The Eridium, Mayhem on Twitch, and Spooky Surprise events.It’s been 10 years since Borderlands first made its debut in October 2009. Join us for a month-long celebration of the O.G. shooter-looter series as we drop new activations each week in Borderlands 3!Learn more: https://t.co/SK8zGa7ubt pic.twitter.com/Ae5VpykkAh — Gearbox Official (@GearboxOfficial) October 1, 2019Details of the other four events are forthcoming, though the Spooky Surprise in late October would line up with what we heard about the Bloody Harvest free DLC. But, Gearbox may have other Halloween haunts planned as well.Meanwhile, Gearbox is also issuing a patch and hot fix that addresses some balance and performance issues. For more on Borderlands, check out some of the best anointed weapons and how to grab some great loot with Shift Codes.Boss Week (October 1-8) RewardsMouthpiece has an increased chance to drop Gatling GunKillaVolt has an increased chance to drop BrainstormerGigamind has an increased chance to drop NagataKatagawa Ball has an increased chance to drop RectifierKatagawa has an increased chance to drop Legendary class mods (all Vault Hunters)Rampager has an increased chance to drop Kill-o'-the-WispWarden has an increased chance to drop EchoGenIVIV has an increased chance to drop Ten GallonAurelia has an increased chance to drop Creeping DeathGraveward has an increased chance to drop EarwormPain and Terror have an increased chance to drop Legendary class mods (all Vault Hunters)Troy has an increased chance to drop Nova BernerTyreen has an increased chance to drop Bitch Borderlands 3 News Borderlands 3 Patch Notes: Character Balance, Stability Improvements, And More Borderlands 3 Starter Guide: 17 Spoiler-Free Tips You Should Know Before Jumping In Borderlands 3 Shift Codes: All Active Shift Codes And How To Redeem Them Info from Gamespot.com

It took a decade to get a second Zombieland movie made. Now that Zombieland: Double Tap is ready to premiere in theaters on October 18, it's hard not to wonder about what comes next, though. Should the follow-up be well-received, is there a plan in place to revisit the world one more time? Does Double Tap set up a third installment of the franchise?It does not, but that doesn't mean this is the end. In fact, star Emma Stone might have already figured out the future of the franchise. "Emma said that something that's super funny to me, which is she hopes that every ten years, we can make a Zombieland," director Ruben Fleischer shared during a group interview with a small number of outlets. "Almost like in a Boyhood or something-type way, we can just check in with our characters and see how they're doing in the post-apocalypse."For those that don't remember, Boyhood is the 2012 film by Richard Linklater that was filmed over 12 years and tracked a child's life from six years old through college. It's notable for using the same cast throughout 12 years of production, with new footage filmed once or twice each year.While chances are this recipe wouldn't work for a franchise like Zombieland, it certainly is fun to think about. Naturally, any future continuation of the series will depend on how audiences react to Double Tap. "I think we all have so much love for this movie and for each other that it would be a joy to get back together again and make another movie, but it obviously hinges on what audiences think of [Double Tap] and we would also have to come up with a story worth telling again," Fleischer explained.However, the director revealed that if another film in the series doesn't happen, Double Tap could serve as a satisfying ending. "This one resolves in a very satisfying way. And so who knows, maybe over time, we'll come up with an idea that would make sense to reunite our heroes and see what they're up to," he said. "But I think I think these are kind of special movies and we all have a lot of respect for them."Zombieland: Double Tap is in theaters on October 18.Info from Gamespot.com

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the final movie in the saga that kicked off the with the original Star Wars movie in 1977, and it's set to hit theaters in December. It follows 2017's The Last Jedi, which left fans with a variety of unanswered questions. Now co-writer Chris Terrio has spoken about two of the questions that he says will new movie will address.In a new interview with Empire, Terrio explained that Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, will be at the center of the first. There had been much speculation about the identity of her parents in the build-up to The Last Jedi, and that film's reveal that they were not special or notable disappointed many fans. While he doesn't give away anything specific, Terrio does hint that there might be more to her backstory than we have learnt so far."One of them is a simple [question]: 'Who is Rey?'," he says. "Which is a question that people not only wonder about quite literally, but wonder about in the spiritual sense. How can Rey become the spiritual heir to the Jedi? We kept coming back to 'Who is Rey?', and how can we give the most satisfying answer to that not only factually--because obviously people are interested in whether there's more to be learned of Rey's story--but more importantly who is she as a character? How will she find the courage and will and inner strength and power to carry on what she's inherited?"According to Terrio, the other issue that The Rise of Skywalker will deal with is the Force itself. "The second one is, 'How strong is the Force?'," he revealed. "It sounds a little simple, but actually when you get down to it, that is a sort of Zen Koan that we would really meditate on--not literally in yoga poses or anything, but like we would discuss, 'What is the Force and how strong is the Force?' Those two things were really important."Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed by JJ Abrams, who previously helmed 2015's The Force Awakens. It also stars Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Mark Hamill as Luke, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando. Some new images from the movie were released this week, and you can watch the latest trailer here. It hits theaters on December 20.The Rise of Skywalker isn't the only highly-anticipated Star Wars release due in the next couple of months. In November, the first ever live-action Star Wars show The Mandalorian will hit the streaming platform Disney+. The first episode of the show will be available on November 12, which is the day the service launches. Watch the first Mandalorian trailer here, and check out everything we know about every upcoming Star Wars movie and TV show.Info from Gamespot.com

As part of its weekly free games program, the Epic Games Store has recently been giving out pairs of games, but it looks like we're back to single-game giveaways this week and next. Starting today, there's a new PC game up for grabs, and to claim it, you just need a free Epic Games Store account. Once the game is added to your account, it's yours to keep.Minit is the freebie for Epic users this week. The black-and-white single-player adventure is played 60 seconds at a time, as a curse repeatedly ends your character's life after just one minute. However, you'll keep all items gained--as well as knowledge of any secrets learned--during your short lifespans, which will help you progress. Along the way, you'll meet various characters that you can help as well as dangerous enemies to defeat, all in the pursuit of ending your curse.Released in 2018, the game earned a solid 8/10 in GameSpot's Minit review, which Alessandro Barbosa praised its well-implemented time limit, rewarding exploration, charming visuals, and intoxicating soundtrack. "Minit’s lives might only last 60 seconds, but its extremely well-thought-out world design and engrossing loop of progress make it a curse-filled adventure that is worth dying the world over for," he wrote. "Its throwback to classic visuals aren’t done for aesthetic alone, as none of its gameplay systems scream antiquity. It’s a slickly presented adventure that continually manages to surprise you with every new area you uncover or item you procure, pushing you to pick away at its seams to uncover every drop of what it has to offer."Minit is available to claim for free now through next Thursday, October 17, when it will be replaced by Epic's next free game, Surviving Mars.Info from Gamespot.com

Ahead of Death Stranding's November 8 launch on PlayStation 4, Sony dropped a new promotional trailer for the game that puts more emphasis on Sam Bridges' goal.The official PlayStation YouTube channel published the trailer, above, which shows Sam running away from pursuers in yellow suits. As he attempts to escape, Sam talks about how "they" have fractured our society and will try to stop you at every turn. It seems Sam has an important "drop" to make that has high stakes if he fails. It's still very mysterious what Sam has to achieve in Death Stranding, apart from reconnecting the world. The only way to save society is in his hands, though.In September, director Hideo Kojima tweeted that Death Stranding had gone gold. This means the game has passed all certification required for discs to be pressed and distributed, effectively solidifying Death Stranding's November release date. Before making the announcement, PlayStation's September State of Play revealed a limited edition PS4 Pro that includes a colored DualShock 4 controller and custom-themed Death Stranding console.During Tokyo Game Show 2019, we saw a full hour of Death Stranding gameplay. Not long after, we got a glimpse of some other elements of Death Stranding, including customization, exploring the safe house, and more.Info from Gamespot.com

Fans will be getting another look at Pokemon Sword and Shield very soon. The Pokemon Company is broadcasting a 24-hour livestream related to the games starting tomorrow, October 4. Unlike a typical stream, however, this will be an animal cam-style broadcast from Glimwood Tangle, a mysterious forest area in the Galar region.We don't know exactly what we'll see during this week's Pokemon Sword and Shield livestream, although The Pokemon Company teases that viewers "may notice things that surprise you." If you're interested in tuning in, we've rounded up everything you need to know about tomorrow's livestream, including where you can watch it, below.Start Times6 AM PT9 AM ET2 PM BSTHow To WatchThe livestream will be broadcast on the official Pokemon YouTube and Twitch channels. We've also embedded the stream above, so you can bookmark this page and tune in right here once the stream begins.What To ExpectAs previously mentioned, this week's stream won't be presented like a traditional one; rather, it will showcase 24 hours of "live" footage from an in-game location. According to The Pokemon Company, this stream is part of research being conducted by Sonia, Professor Magnolia's granddaughter and assistant. The company shared the following message from Sonia regarding the stream:"My name's Sonia, and I'm a Pokemon researcher. Here in Galar, I'm always helping out with research for my gran--Professor Magnolia, that is! I'm sending this message because I could really use your help with some research I'm doing. Next week, a camera will be set up in a strange forest here in Galar known as Glimwood Tangle, and the camera will begin broadcasting live footage. The broadcast will last for 24 hours! If you could take a gander when you have time, that'd be just great. Thanks in advance!"The Pokemon Company has been tight-lipped about what we can expect to see during the stream, but since it is being broadcast "live" from Glimwood Tangle, we'll likely get to observe some Pokemon in their natural habitat, presumably including some new Gen 8 monsters.The Pokemon Company has been steadily revealing new Pokemon ever since Sword and Shield were officially unveiled earlier this year, so it seems like a safe bet we'll see at least one new monster during this week's stream. In the meantime, you can check out all the new Gen 8 Pokemon revealed so far in our gallery.Info from Gamespot.com

Steam almost always has something on sale, and this week, there's another free weekend and discounts on some true gems. Devil May Cry 5 and the DMC series is on sale, in addition to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, Sniper Elite 4, and Cuphead. Just Cause 4 and the rest of its series is also discounted.In addition to all the sales, Battalion 1944 is free for everyone to play until Sunday, and if you enjoy your time with it, you can grab it for $10 USD / $12.50 CAD / £8 until October 8. Published by Square Enix, Battalion 1944 is a 5v5 infantry-based multiplayer shooter, more similar to Call of Duty than Battlefield. You can grab the game itself or pick it up in the Red Sun Edition bundle, which includes an exclusive M1 model, ten Red Sun chests, and the digital soundtrack.If you're looking for a different flavour of multiplayer for this weekend, then Hunt: Showdown is also on sale. This monster-hunting first-person shooter pits you and a partner against several other teams trying to banish the target beast first. Other players aren't your only enemy though, as zombies and other creatures populate the map. You can pick it up for $32 USD / $43.20 CAD / £28.80 until October 7.See our picks of the best deals below. However, this is only a fraction of what's on sale, so be sure to check out Steam for the rest of the great game deals.GamePrice (USD)Price (CAD)Price (GBP)Devil May Cry 5$39.60$52.80£29.70Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition$10$10£8DMC Devil May Cry$7.50$8.75£6Sniper Elite 4$12$13.30£8Just Cause 4$19.80$26.40£14.85The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR$30$40£20Cuphead$16$17.60£12Battalion 1944$10$12.50£8Team Sonic Racing$20$27.50£17.50Katana Zero$10$11.65£7.60Hunt: Showdown$32$43.20£28.80Dying Light Enhanced Edition$18$18£10.50Info from Gamespot.com